Category Archives: Inside Out

You’ll experience an overwhelming amount of feelings andget emotional during Pixar’s newest film, Inside Out. This movie gets incredibly creative as it invents a new world that exists inside all of us. First, let’s start with the cast.

I can’t think of any one better to play the role of Anger than Lewis Black. He was a riot, and absolutely perfect. Bill Hader joined the group as Fear, and was fine, nothing special if you ask me. Mindy Kaling voiced Disgust, and while she definitely had the least recognizable voice in the group (a positive thing, I might add), I was hoping she would have more lines, since her character was entertaining.

Amy Poehler voiced the leader of the group, Joy, and in doing so became an animated version of my hero, Leslie Knope (Parks & Recreations). While I love the character of Knope, it was a little hard to visualize Joy as a different and unique character, since she possesses similar traits to the Deputy Director. It was a hurdle I tried to overcome, and while I enjoyed Joy’s perseverance to correct the situation she found herself in, the whole time I kept envisioning my favorite TV show, and that distracted me from getting to appreciate Joy.

But the biggest surprise, I’m happy to report, was Phyllis Smith as Sadness. While she may not have made extraordinary strides to animate her voice as well as I feel Kaling accomplished, Smith enhanced the development of Sadness with an Eeyore-esque tone of despair that was truly distinctive to her character. Throughout the movie, you feel a range of emotions in connection to Sadness, making her the most defined character of the group. She goes from being annoyingly depressing to plain annoying (by way of the plots progression), to sympathetic, and finally you end with cheering her on as the surprise under-dog. Sadness is a great character, truly diverse and complex.

The set-up is brilliant. I especially love how creative the writers got with creating this world, AKA your brain. It’s like a factory that manufacture’s every memory you process, and there is great detail on what happens with long-term memories, imagination, core memories, and what creates a human’s personality. Of course, in this “factory” like workplace, there’s some mischief between the other workers “on the floor”, which explain certain phenomena such as why songs get stuck in your head, for instance. 🙂

The five emotions work at “Headquarters”, and have the ability to see the world through human Riley’s eyes. It is their job to essentially keep Riley happy, by influencing her with the right emotions at the right time. They also have access to memories that can help set the mood, if you will, and keep Riley progressively moving in a positive direction.

The conflict of this movie occurs as Sadness becomes restless and begins getting into Riley’s core memories. These are the most important memories, because they define Riley’s personality traits. The emotions have the power to change the memories to reflect what they stand for. For example, the core memories are all created by Joy, but as Sadness touches them, we see the memory start to change and get blanketed into sadness. As Joy tries to save the core memories, she finds herself, along with Sadness, thrust out of HQ and onto the floor. This starts the determination of Joy to get back to HQ, because leaving the other three emotions to advise Riley’s mood is unbalanced, and quite honestly a problem. Imagine if you only had Anger, Fear, and Disgust running your life. That would be a pretty bleak outlook, don’t you think?

Of course, this disaster occurs in coordination with a big change in Riley’s life. That being the family moving from their beloved and spacious Montana to a small, decrepit row house in California.

Before you say anything, apparently it IS possible to be sad in the state where Disney began… I dunno, preteens are unpredictable, I suppose,and at this time Riley is at the ripe old age of eleven, cresting on the stubborn teen years. One might say: The Perfect Storm.

Joy and Sadness embark on the journey back to HQ, and are met with some obstacles, of course, but mostly it’s bad timing. Honestly, the journey back was not all that exciting for me. I was more intrigued by learning the process of memories and what makes a personality than caring if they made it back – because, ultimately, you knew they would.

The question that I believe was supposed to keep the “journey” interesting, was that Joy and Sadness were racing against the clock, because Riley’s personality was being jeopardized and we weren’t sure how much of Riley would be left by the time Joy got back to HQ to save the day.

Even still, the threat that Riley could turn into an angry, paranoid, judgmental creep if Joy and Sadness failed, was not that imminent. That’s the one area I believe the movie failed.

But, Pixar didsucceed in making this Diva bawl her eyes out during one of the – shall I be so bold? – saddest moments in Pixar Film history! I won’t give it all away, but for those of you who have seen the movie, you know EXACTLY what I am talking about. I didn’t see it coming, and I’m actually going through the grieving phases as we speak. Today, I’m stuck on denial.

The movie envelopes a great amount of “growth”, and threads this theme throughout and in many different ways. Most obvious would be watching Riley grow from an infant into a young girl. She leads a relatively happy life, and even when the family has to move, Joy makes sure that Riley adjusts as easily as she can.

We also experience growth during the tribulation of Joy and Sadness. Joy not only learns tolerance for her somber sidekick, but begins to realize that each emotion plays an intricate role in creating Riley’s memories. Knowing joyfulness can only be felt when one has experienced sadness. Without each other, Riley would not be able to enjoy the pleasures of what interests her.

It becomes apparent to Joy that a memory not only can be changed, but should be. While Riley’s core memories, which include playing hockey and ice-skating with her parents, were once a single-emotion (joy), now that life has been changing for Riley, her looking back on those memories of her childhood home would inevitably stir up some sadness as well. A mixture of sadness and joy creates a bittersweet memory, a completely new emotion. We start to see that the five emotions can combine together to create a multitude of feelings, which is necessary for a young-adult to have.

Being a baby and a young child, they can’t experience or understand complex emotions because they’re young and learning about life. But as we grow, like Riley, it becomes apparent that entering into adulthood with basic emotions is impossible, and at the same time, unrealistic. The movie shows the audience that we have to be capable of having a vast amount of emotions, because that shows that we are growing into more complex human beings. The way this is done is beautiful and perhaps more intricate than you would expect from a “kids movie’.

All in all, Inside Out has a different feeling from the normal “story-telling” type that we’re used to with Pixar. It feels deeper and more philosophical on some level, making it tough to declare that I will watch it over and over again, as I do with other classics such as Toy Story and Monster’s Inc. I believe that this movie has a unique and more mature outlook, so you have to be in a certain mood to sit back and enjoy it. As I stated in the beginning – you WILL feel, you WILL react emotionally, and most likely, you WILL cry. You may also need a moment to reflect, I did. I couldn’t leave the theater right away, I needed some time to digest all of the feelings that were stirred up inside due to this film. For this reason alone, I would claim that Inside Out is a success, because a movie that can get you to consider your own life is a pretty powerful thing.

Diva’s Gallery!

I’ve been in Max’s “seat”, when parents were oh-so-embarrassing. But I’m slowly making my way to Goofy’s side, unable to contain my Disney dorkness!!

Oh, the inconsistency!

Kronk is so sweet. A little out-there, but… talented!

Walt Disney looking on.

Poor Flounder. He can hardly keep up with the adventurous Ariel!

Maggie (center) is one tough cow!

Poor Mickey, feel better!

What and Angry Bird!

Here’s an added bonus: This clip was Walt Disney’s all time favorite piece of animation. This was drawn by Marc Davis, one of Disney’s Nine Old Men.

Puppet Master.

Gideon is so bashful :)

Boo!

Wow!

I agree, Wendy, but we all have too. All children do… except one.

The Frozen group.

Lambert, the Sheepish Lion!

Looks good!

You never really know if you should trust the Cheshire Cat.

Share!

Mary and Bert.

Bambi’s got the need for speed!

It’s okay, it’s safe.

Wart’s reprise in ‘The Fox and the Hound.” Interesting!

Just hanging around with my buddy…

We won!

Caught Ya!

The seaweed is always greener…

Pluto!

The fanciest Percy.

Nala – “BE STRONG”

The brothers with Walt Disney.

Scary Scud!

The dance of love.

Sidekick!

Alice looks like she has something to say!

Right in the feels :(

Poor Simba. I know what a diet change is like. Hakuna Matata!

The Muppet Babies are so cute!

Ray is always there to help you find your way.

The dogs are so very attentive. Wonder what’s on TV?

Pups in love!

What?!

Mmm looks good!

Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide!

Oh, please.

The beautiful dance.

The original Disney Diva!

And I’ll huff, and I’ll puff…

Rapunzel – “LIVE YOUR LIFE”

Pixar’s First Love Story has the most adorable couple!

So dramatic.

We’re not in Kansas anymore…

WDW trains bring great memories!

A little guidance is always appreciated!

I don’t get it.

Happy Birthday!

Alpha… scary.

Leave me alone, I’m dreaming of Disney!

Exasperated because all I want to do is blog all day, and I can’t!

Yes, my thoughts exactly.

Mulan – FAMILY IS NUMBER ONE

Helpful Little Brother.

Daddy’s Girl

*Whistle*

Nervous much?

Everything the light touches….

Not so fast, Anna!

Meh…

Buster helps the escape!

Love!

Reindeer are better than people, Sven?

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum

Walt won’t give up. Travers won’t give in.

Whaddya mean, creepy?!

Heh…

Proof that Timon is a great friend.

Mushu is the friend you never knew you needed.

The scared Captain!

Camping Out!

Jesse isn’t impressed.

This cute take on the classy “Hollywood and Vine” restaurant.

This is the picture of happiness.

Aw shucks, guys!

Hello, new family, I’m home!

It’s true!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Best friends forever!

Mickey at Fantasmic

Part of your World!

Ariel – “FOLLOW YOUR HEART”

Maleficent is super creepy.

Walking through the forest.

Comfy cozy and oh-so cuddly!

What’s this?

Huh?

How adorable can you get!

Such a diva!

Way to ruin my point!

Do you see it?

Nom nom nom…

Pooh Bear and Piglet

Mary Poppins needs to prepare for her newest nanny job.

Snow White’s real rosy cheeks.

I love how much Rapunzel adores Pascal!

Some days, I can totally relate.

Mickey <3

Patriotic Mickey!

Play? Can we? Can we!

Whaddya think?

Happy as always.

Everybody Mambo!

The best duo!

Got that, Pacha?!

Flynn Rider from Tangled

Snazzy!

Ralph is a softie!

I’m so popular!

Sing it!

This picture makes me so happy :)

Shang from Mulan

Mulan is shocked by the rudeness!

The coolest Aunt!

You’re #1!

Bruce is pretty intimidating!

Girls Talk to Much.

The happiest bunch!

Elsa – “DON’T HIDE WHO YOU ARE”

Happy Summer!

Jodi Benson play the secretary.

Aaw how adorable :)

He has some good advice!

Diane Disney

Pinocchio might want to check in with conscience more often.

Be prepared!

I live for the applause.

I’m sorry, Goofy :(

Yuck!

The best friends!

Goooooodbyyeeeee (for now)

Oh Wendy, have fun in Neverland!

Walt and Roy Disney.

My daughter, odd?

Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid

The Lion King!

CINDERELLA

This Frozen group is looking good!

Ta-dah!

Cheeky Mary Poppins.

What a wonderful phrase.

I wouldn’t mind going to work with these two.

What a good doggie dad.

This horse has got a mission!

The animals appreciate a good song from Snow White.

I’m shocked too, buddy.

You’re gunna hear me rooooar!

Yay teamwork!

That’s more like it!

Hey, good looking ;)

“Mickey’s Toothache.” 1938

The beautiful horses on Cinderella’s Carousel.

Mulan rocks!

It’s still sad…

Kevin’s a…girl?

Disney and Travers

THE LION GUARD – The epic storytelling of Disney’s “The Lion King” continues with “The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar,” a primetime television movie event starring Rob Lowe, Gabrielle Union and James Earl Jones, reprising his iconic role as Mufasa. Premiering this November on Disney Channel, the movie follows Kion, the second-born cub of Simba and Nala, as he assumes the role of leader of the Lion Guard, a team of animals tasked with preserving the Pride Lands. “The Lion Guard” television series will premiere in early 2016 on Disney Channels and Disney Junior channels around the globe. (Disney Junior) FULI, KION, ONO , BESHTE, BUNGA

Who gives the best advice?

It is the happiest cruise!

Even as the times (and styles) change, Mickey is never without his Pluto!

You rock!

The best friends!

THANK YOU!

The newest Muppet, Walter, is also a world-class whistler!

Grumpy…

Good advice!

Merida – “STAND UP AND SPEAK UP”

Sisters!

Patience, Pooh Bear, patience…

A Friend Like Me!

Mickey keeps getting into trouble.

Port Orleans is hopping!

Flower & Garden Festival

It just makes sense!

Soups on!

Puppy love!

Fired up!

Be careful when talking to Kaa!

Whoa.

Got it!

Under Pressure!

Skipper John Lasseter!

Mary Poppins must throw some awesome parties.

Yipee!

Wicked evil, or is there more to the story…

“I Wanna Be Like You”

They need to work together.

Always together forever.

The Divalicious Miss Piggy!

Stop and smell the roses, Ferdinand!

A [dead] boy and his dog!

Mickey knows how to relax. Looks like paradise!

Daddy’s girl!

My favorite!

They work so well together. It was meant to be!

Best friends for life!

Huh?

Trouble comes in… threes?

Cinderella – KINDNESS IS ALWAYS REWARDED

Little Wart is preparing for his future as King.

But I be done seen about everything, when I see an elephant fly.

Aurora is the quintessential princess!

Iago, you dancing fool!

You can teach this dog new trick!

Rapunzel must get some serous bird nests!

“They just can’t get my nose right!” Flynn, worry more about the fact that you’re on a WANTED poster!

Make a wish, Tiana!

Ray is the best guide!

It’s a wild world, Nemo.

Hanging with his pup!

Goofy alien!

Prince Naveen from The Princess and the Frog

Sorry Sophie McShera – I think you’re adorable, but this was not my favorite of you at all. :(

Evil Jafar sketch!

Ms. Tilly in the sunrise!

“It’s hard to beat perfection.”

Reading to his friend.

Keep watching, Pascal. No need to be embarrassed.

Charlotte is such a diva, and I love her for it!

He always makes me laugh!

Instead of roses, we threw him dogs bones for his #1 win!

Talespine – Woo ooo!

Pleeeease!

Me when I logged into my blog today after nearly a week without it. :)

So focused!

Emno kid is sad.

Donald and Daisy are so in love!

Poor Mulan!

That’s the guy we love!

Gotta love Goofy!

These cats know how to jam!

Prince Charming from Cinderella

Such a character!

The Prince from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Jock and Trusty are old pals.

The cuteness!!!

The studio!

Honest Abe!

So sweet :)

Busy with the TV.

Belle – BE YOURSELF

Evil smirk.

Dippy Dawg debut in 1932.

Love these two!

Mickey is a wonderful dancer!

I want adventure!

Huh?

Do you want to know a secret?

Mmm… hunny!

Chimney sweeping is fun!

John Smith from Pocahontas

Hooray!

The Fox and the Hound

He’s got a plan.

The Beauties!

Going my way?

Prince Philip from Sleeping Beauty

Me on Friday night.

Moving right along!

Crying helps sometimes.

That’s amore!

If Kuzco was a girl and that building model was my D23 card, this would be an accurate picture of me!

Terrifying and spooky!

Aladdin

Mike and Boo!

Oooh

Maximum looks angry.

<3

Baloo and Mowgli.

The originals!

Favorite toy :)

Life may imitate art, but this scene is taken directly from Walt Disney’s true actions.